WATER REPELLENCY

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Undesirable fabric properties are often found with
repellent finishes.
• static electricity,
• poor soil removal in aqueous laundering,
• stiffer fabric hand,
• greying (soil redeposition) during aqueous laundering
• and increased flammability.
Fabric properties that are often improved by
repellent finishes
• better durable press properties,
• more rapid drying and ironing,
• and increased resistance to acids, bases and other
chemicals.

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Difference between water repellency and water proofing
Water repellency
• The term ‘water-repellent’ is actually a relative term
because there is always some attraction between a liquid
and a solid with which the liquid is in contact.
• Thus, water-repellency is taken to be ‘the relative degree
of resistance of a fabric to surface wetting, water
penetration, water absorption or any combination of
these properties’

Water proofing
• The term ‘waterproof’ is normally taken to represent
the conditions where a textile material (treated or
untreated) can prevent the absorption of water and
also the penetration of water into its structure.

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Difference between water repellency and water proofing

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Important terms
Critical surface tension
Surface tension at which a liquid just completely wets a
solid.
Work of adhesion
• This work of adhesion is equal to the change in surface
free energy of the system when the contact between
the liquid and the solid is broken.
Work of cohesion
• WC, may be expressed in terms of the reversible
• work required to pull apart a liquid column to create
two separate liquid surfaces
Surface wetting and repellency
• only liquids with surface tension values lower than γC
would spread on the surface, whereas liquids with
surface tension values greater than γC would form a
finite contact angle on the solid. 6
Important terms
Work of spreading
• Spontaneous spreading thus occurs when WS
is positive.

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Critical surface tension and surface energy of liquids

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Critical surface tension and surface energy of solids

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Surface tension of various water repellent
finishes
• Critical surface energy of hydrocarbon based
water repellent finish = 30mN/m
• Critical surface free energy of silicone based
water repellent finish = 24mN/m
• Critical surface free energy of fluorocarbon
based water repellent finish = 15mN/m

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Critical surface tension of cotton fibres

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Repellency of textile fabrics
Parameters
• (1) the chemical nature of the fibre surfaces
(2) the geometry and roughness of the fibre
surfaces
• (3) the nature of the capillary spacings in the
fabric (for example, inter-fibre and inter-yarn
capillary spaces).

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Repellency of textile fabrics
Conditions for higher Repellency of textile fabrics
Parameters
• fine yarns and a close-packed textile structure
(for example, high sett weave);
• A thoroughly prepared fabric surface free
from impurities
• uniform application of a chemical finish to
provide a low-energy surface that has a lower
critical surface tension (γC) than the surface
tension values of the liquids (γLV) likely to be
encountered.
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Mechanisms of repellency different ways that low energy surfaces
can be applied to textiles.

1. mechanical incorporation of the water-repellent products in or on

the fibre and fabric surface.
• in the fibre pores and in the spacing between the fibres and the
yarns.
• Examples of these are paraffin emulsions.
2. chemical reaction of the repellent material with the fibre surface.
• Examples of these are fatty acid resins.
3. the formation of a repellent film on the fibre surface.
• Examples of these are silicone and fluorocarbon products.
4. The final approach is to use special fabric constructions
• like stretched polytetrafluoroethylene films (Goretex),
• films of hydrophilic polyester (Sympatex)
• and microporous coatings (hydrophilic modified polyurethanes).

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Water-Repellency
Chemistry of water repellents
• Hydrocarbon based repellents
• Silicone based repellents
• Fluorocarbon based repellents

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Hydrocarbon based repellents
Aluminium and zirconium salts of fatty acids

Paraffin wax
• Beeswax (mainly myricyl palmitate,
• C15H31COOC30H61, m.p. up to 62–65 °C),
carnauba wax (myricyl cerotate)
C25H51COOC30H61, m.p. 83–86 °C)
• Vaseline (C18–C22 alkane, m.p. up to 60 °C)
• Limitations
• Enhance the flammability
• Poor durability
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The paraffinic portion of the repellent mixture is attracted to the
• hydrophobic regions,
while the polar ends of the fatty acid are attracted to the
• metal salts at the fibre surface.
These finishes can be applied by
• both exhaustion and padding.
They are compatible with most kinds of finishes but
• they increase flammability.
Although they are available at relatively low cost and generate
uniform waterproof effects,
• the lack of durability to laundering and dry cleaning and their low
air and vapour permeability limits the use of paraffin-based
repellents.
Hydrocarbon based repellents
Pyridinium-based water-repellent finishes
Octadecyloxymethyl pyridinium chloride

Durable repellent finish

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Hydrocarbon based repellents
Durable repellent finish
stearamidomethyl pyridinium chloride

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Hydrocarbon based repellents
Organometallic compounds
Quilon

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Silicone based repellents
• Polysiloxanes are based upon Structure–O–Si–O–
Si– backbone
• R may be a hydrogen, hydroxyl, alkyl, aryl or
alkoxyl group
• Polysiloxanes for use as water repellent agents
for textiles are usually mixtures of linear
polydimethylsiloxanes and polymethylhydrogen
siloxanes.
Silicone based repellents
• The introduction of the reactive hydrogen atoms lowers the
curing temperature (from120-150 C to 200-250 C ) time
required to cure the silicone water-repellent.
• Polydimethylsiloxanes form a flexible surface film over
textile fibres, which imparts a soft handle
• Polymethylhydrogen siloxanes polymerise to leave a hard
brittle surface film with a harsh handle.
• The incorporation of the polydimethylsiloxane thus acts as
a plasticizer and provides good water-repellency with a soft
handle.
• Crosslinking mechanism

• Stabilization of SiH bonds with organic

compounds that prevents build up of H
during storage.
Fluorocarbon based repellents
Silicone based repellents
• Fluorocarbon can be based on
• Esters polyacrylates
• Urethanes
• Esters
Silicone based repellents
Esters

Polyacrylates

Urethanes
 Evaluation
• If there is insufficient differentiation, even with a
• higher distance between sample and nozzle,
• the water resistance with the hydrostatic pressure test should be
checked.
• Some of the most important quantitative test methods are given in Table
6.3.
• For fabrics that require durable repellency performance, the test methods
in Table 6.3 can be applied to fabrics that have been laundered or dry
cleaned by standard methods (as AATCC TM 124 and TM 86) in order to
determine the durability of the repellency properties.
• Three groups of corresponding test methods may be distinguished,
• 1. static drop tests,
• 2. spray tests and
• 3. hydrostatic pressure tests.
Evaluation